


An Amateur Historian's Ranking of Reinhard von Lohengramm's Admirals

by Lord_Jujube



Category: Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu | Legend of the Galactic Heroes
Genre: Gen, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:15:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28006017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lord_Jujube/pseuds/Lord_Jujube
Summary: What follows is an anonymous amateur historian’s (my) suggestions for the worst and best of Reinhard von Lohengramm’s admirals. I have short descriptions of character's feats to refresh people’s memories there, I might add more analysis or details later, but for now, these are my rankings of the various admirals who served Reinhard von Lohengramm. Note that spellings from the old anime are used. I'll probably add some stuff later to make it seem more like an actual historian wrote it, but for now, it's sort of a placeholder. References used are the show itself and Gineipaedia: https://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Portal:Main
Kudos: 2





	An Amateur Historian's Ranking of Reinhard von Lohengramm's Admirals

Introduction:  
What follows is an anonymous amateur historian’s suggestions for the worst and best of Reinhard von Lohengramm’s admirals. I have short descriptions to refresh people’s memories there, I might add more analysis or details later, but for now, these are my rankings of the various admirals who served Reinhard von Lohengramm. 

The following list is based on a few criteria:  
They must at least have held the rank Rear Admiral at some point.  
They must have served either directly under Reinhard von Lohengramm or been given an independent command.  
Some information will be repeated from section to section.  
Figures who never fought are still included in the rankings if they served Reinhard directly and served in some regard.  
Firstly a summary of their battles and/or achievements, followed by some light analysis.  
It should be noted that for some individuals there is very little detail of their capabilities and competences before they served Reinhard, and even before they became admirals at all in some cases.  
They aren’t Willibald Joachim von Merkatz

List without details (Worst to Best)  
1\. Sombart  
2\. Isaak Fernand von Thurneysen  
3\. Molt  
4\. Anton Hilmer von Schaft  
5\. Carnap  
6\. Alfred Grillparzer  
7\. Bruno von Kappstein  
8\. Arthur von Streit  
9\. Rolf Otto Brauhitch  
10\. Karl Gustav Kempff  
11\. Helmut Lennenkampf  
12\. Karl Robert Steinmetz  
13\. Adalbert von Fahrenheit  
14\. Ernst von Eisenach  
15\. Ulrich Kessler  
16\. Cornelius Lutz  
17\. August Samuel Wahlen  
18\. Ernest Mecklinger  
19\. Neidhardt Muller  
20\. Fritz Joseph Bittenfeld  
21\. Oskar von Reuenthal  
22\. Wolfgang Mittermeyer  
23\. Siegfried Kircheis  


From Worst to Best  
Sombart  
Rear Admiral Sombart - Rear Admiral Sombart served directly under Reinhard von Lohengramm, and was given the key task of protecting key supply ships from the Imperial heartland to a base established on Uravasi. Despite Reinhard emphasizing the importance of supplies, Rear Admiral Sombart still failed to take the task seriously. He failed in this task and was punished accordingly. 

Isaak Fernand von Thurneysen  
Vice Admiral Thurneysen - An ambitious man who lacked ability. Isaak Fernand von Thurneysen bungled the Battle of Vermillion by mixing his own fleet with Rolf Otto Brauhitch’s  
fleet. This allowed Yang Wenli to devastate their two fleets and was a key factor in bringing Reinhard von Lohengramm directly in view of the enemy’s guns. Isaak Fernand von Thurneysen would not be used by Reinhard in the future for this failure, and in addition to being withdrawn after his failure in the Battle of Vermillion, would never fight in active combat again. In contrast, Rolf Otto Brauhitch would be promoted from Vice Admiral to Admiral and participate in the Battle of the Corridor.

Molt  
Vice Admiral Molt - Reinhard von Lohenngramm’s sacrifice for his scheme involving allowing the young Kaiser Erwin Josef II to be kidnapped. Although Reinhard von Lohengramm was not pleased with sacrificing Vice Admiral Molt who was of such a temperament that he would feel responsible for the loss of the young Kaiser, he was aware that Vice Admiral Molt would commit suicide and went ahead with his scheme nonetheless. Vice Admiral Molt was the Head of Security in Neue Sanssouci. 

Anton Hilmer von Schaft  
Admiral Anton Hilmer von Schaft - One of very few high officials that managed to avoid imprisonment, banishment, or death in the transition to Reinhard’s military dictatorship. He was in close contact with Fezzan, and he worked on an engineering project to allow mobilization of Geiersburg Fortress for the purpose of destroying Iserlohn Fortress and opening the corridor to invasion. He was betrayed by the Fezzanis who he was working with and arrested for numerous crimes.

Carnap  
Vice Admiral Carnap - A Vice Admiral serving under Reinhard von Lohengramm during the Battle of Vermillion. He attempted to break through Yang Wenli’s encirclement, but it was a trick and his fleet was destroyed by Yang Wenli. While he was fooled by Yang Wenli, he performed as well as he could given the circumstances.

Alfred Grillparzer  
Admiral Alfred Grillparzer - A seemingly talented young man who was called the Explorer Admiral by his peers for his talents in geography. The first major battle he participated in was the 9th Battle of Iserlohn where he served under Helmut Lennankampf. The first battle wherein he would hold a major command was the Battle of Marr-Adetta where he would confront the forces of Alexandre Bewcock as the Vanguard where his fleet lost 30% of their ships. He actively concealed proof of Terraist activities on Uruvasi which otherwise might have prevented the Reuenthal Rebellion. Alfred Grillparzer furthermore hatched a scheme to betray Reunethal during his rebellion, but Mecklinger would find the truth behind Alfred’s actions and he would never fight again. His fleet’s fire caused Reunethal to be mortally wounded.

Bruno von Knappstein  
Admiral Bruno von Kappstein - He first served under Helmut Lennenkampf and then Oskar von Reuenthal. His first major battle where he played a serious role was the Battle of Marr-Adetta Starzone, where he entered the corridor after his friend Alfred Grillparzer failed to defeat Fleet Admiral Alexandre Bewcock’s fleet. Knappstein failed despite utilizing different tactics than his friend, but took fewer casualties overall. Later, his friend persuaded him to join the Reuenthal Rebellion for the purpose of betraying Reuenthal and being regarded as heroes of the Galactic Empire. Bruno von Knappstein was killed by fire from Wolfgang Mittermeyer’s fleet however not too long after battle was joined.

-Note-  
Many of Reinhard’s worst admirals had in common a worry that with the end of war after the unification of the galaxy that they would not be able to advance in any way. 

Arthur von Streit  
Vice Admiral Arthur von Streit - His appointment by Reinhard von Lohengramm was in many ways a political move more than anything else. While he was talented, part of the reason for his appointment was so Reinhard von Lohengramm could signify that even his former enemies’ retainers were bending the knee to him. He was an adjutant to Reinhard von Lohengramm despite initially refusing to serve him. He stood at Reinhard’s side during Operation Ragnarok. 

Rolf Otto Brauhitch  
Admiral Rolf Otto Brauhitch - As previously mentioned, he participated in the key battle of Vermillion, a trap laid by Reinhard von Lohengramm for Yang Wenli using the Kaiser himself as bait. Although then Vice Admiral Brauhitch performed well, his performance was marred by Vice Admiral Thurneysen. Still, Reinhard was capable of understanding which man performed his duty and which did not, and as a result, Reinhard promoted Rolf Otto Brauhitch to Admiral. Rolf Otto Brauhitch cleared the mine field at the end of Iserlohn Corridor and his force was among the first units in action during the Battle of the Corridor.

Karl Gustav Kempff  
(High) Admiral Gustav Kempff - Before entering Reinhard’s service, he performed capably as a Valkyrie Captain. When he joined Reinhard’s admiralty, he was defeated by Yang Wenli in the Battle of Jafnhar who was able to retreat in good order but he himself did not lose much reputation because of this defeat because he held the field at the end of the day, despite failing to defeat Yang Wenli he performed well in the Battle of Amritsar Starzone that followed. He was also present for the attack on Geiersburg Fortress during the Lippstadt Rebellion. Later, with a longer military service than many of the other admirals of Reinhard’s new admiralty and thus, seniority, he was given the task of opening Iserlohn Corridor using Geiersburg Fortress in the 8th Battle of Iserlohn. 

He failed in that task spectacularly and was arguably unfit for the great responsibility that he had been given, his other failures include preventing Neidhardt Muller from capturing Yang Wenli who had been forced to leave for an inquiry and was returning to the fortress. Reinhard would argue that the two fortresses should be smashed together using the mobility of Geiersburg Fortress, but the practicality of this suggestion was arguably always flawed, as even a single engine being destroyed as demonstrated by Yang Wenli caused the fortress to be destroyed completely when Karl Gustav Kempff finally tried to do this himself after failing to destroy the fortress by other means. Arguably, Reinhard should have informed Karl Gustav Kempff that he was allowed to do this in the first place, as destroying an asset like Geiersburg Fortress might not have been an action that Karl Gustav Kempff would have been aware he was allowed to even perform in the first place and only took the decision when he had no other practical choice or means of destroying Iserlohn Fortress. He was posthumously promoted to High Admiral after his death. Reinhard was arguably unfair to him in some regards, but his mistakes must nonetheless be regarded as mistakes.

Helmut Lennenkampf  
High Admiral Helmut Lennenkampf - He first met Reinhard in December of 792 UC where they discussed a secret mission involving a runaway noble with technology that was valuable in battle. Helmut Lennenkampf was present for the tests on the warp capabilities of the modified Geiersburg Fortress and later served under the command of Oskar von Reuenethal in the 9th Battle of Iserlohn. He noted that Yang Wenli could remain unblemished in his military record by safeguarding Iserlohn Fortress, which induced Oskar von Reuenethal to note comment someone of Lennenkampf’s quality might feel that way in spite of the strategic benefits to abandoning the fortress, a comment which he soon after apologized to Lennenkampf for making. 

High Admiral Helmut Lennenkampf would later face Yang Wenli in the Battle of the Black Hole, where his fleet was unable to reinforce Karl Robert Steinmetz in time and had already taken moderate casualties in contrast to the relatively unscathed Yang Fleet. He was chosen as Reinhard’s representative in the FPA after their surrender and the signing of the Treaty of Ba’alat where his grudge against Yang Wenli because of his and Steinmetz’s defeat led to him investigating and watching Yang Wenli. He would later be captured by the Rosenritter and commit suicide while he was held prisoner, a shameful act that would result in him being denied promotion. It was arguably a mistake for him to be put in the position of Consul. His performance in battle was overall rather mediocre, although he didn’t suffer any devastating failures like Kempff in battle, as consul he did not perform well.

Karl Robert Steinmetz  
High Admiral Karl Robert Steinmetz (Posthumous Fleet Admiral) - The former captain of the Brunhild who served Reinhard capably in this role. During the 4th Battle of Tiamat, Reinhard initially ordered the Brunhild to fire when Yang Wenli directly rammed the Brunhild with an FPA Battleship from underneath, but Karl Robert Steinmetz reminded Reinhard that the ship itself was under his command, not Reinhard’s, which induced Reinhard von Lohengramm to apologize to Karl Robert Steinmetz for attempting to arrogate his command. He served capably in several battles under the direct command of Reinhard von Lohengramm up until he was given an independent command, and in the Battle of the Blackhole he was defeated in battle by Yang Wenli. He met his death during the Battle of the Corridor, whereafter he received a promotion after his death. A reward for his comparatively long service to other men in the Kaiser’s fleet. 

Adalbert von Fahrenheit  
High Admiral (Alive), Fleet Admiral (Posthumous) - Adalbert von Fahrenheit first served Reinhard von Lohengramm during the Battle of Astarte, where he was the only admiral among those who were newly assigned to Reinhard for the battle who approved of Reinhard’s plan for a defeat in detail of the Free Planets Alliance Fleet. He later joined the Lippstadt League where his performance was marred by the incompetence of the high nobility and had no choice but to surrender to Reinhard von Lohengramm after the Lippstadt League was inevitably defeated. He was known for skillful attacks and served in this capacity alongside Bittenfeld during Operation Ragnarok under the command of Reinhard von Lohengramm in the Battle of Rantemario. He also fought in the Battle of Marr-Adetta Starzone where despite being known for offensive tactics, he withdrew from the tunnel in the asteroid belt in order to avoid his force taking excessive losses from the FPA Fleet within. He later fought in the Battle of the Corridor as one of the first units in battle, and was killed in action, after which he was promoted to Fleet Admiral posthumously. 

Rather ironically, while he was known for offensive tactics, this also meant that he was among the first units sent into action and this meant that he was forced to deal with traps or schemes rather than an upfront battle where his strengths could be brought to bear, his offensive talents blunted by the geography of the battlefield in his later battles, although he still performed reasonably well.

Ernst von Eisenach  
High Admiral Ernst von Eisenach - He joined Reinhard’s other admirals after the defeat of the Lippstadt League, however, he’d performed important duties for Reinhard before that at lower ranks which earned him the prestigious designation of Admiral in Reinhard’s fleet. Even before that however, Ernst von Eisenach had worked as a supply officer and assisted with resupplying Reinhard’s ship the Hassliche Entlein during a secret mission. Ernst von Eisenach would play a key role in both the Battle of Marr-Adetta, and the Battle of Shiva, although the Battle of Shiva was in many regards a victory for the New Iserlohn Republic, it was one at a heavy cost because of Ernst von Eisenach. Ironically, despite Fahrenheit’s reputation as an offensive specialist, Ernst von Eisenach delivered more major blows than Fahrenheit ever managed to.

Ulrich Kessler  
High Admiral Ulrich Kessler - One of the original members of Reinhard von Lohengramm’s Admiralty. Ulrich Kessler performed police work before serving as an Admiral for Reinhard von Lohengramm. His first meeting with Reinhard who was Reinhard von Musel at the time was during a party for Richard von Grimmelhausen to celebrate his promotion to Admiral. He oversaw the removal of supplies before the invasion of the Galactic Empire by the Free Planets Alliance and would later fight in the Imperial Civil War including the Attack on Geiersburg Fortress. His investigations as the Chief of the Imperial Military Police would lead to him finding proof of corruption in the Internal Security Department headed by Heydrich Lang. While his military service in the Fleet was not long in comparison to the other original members, it was not marred by incompetence and he served capably in his role as Chief of the Imperial Military Police.

Cornelius Lutz  
High Admiral Cornelius Lutz - Yet another of Reinhard von Lohenngramm’s first admirals. He first met Reinhard in the Year 792, where he taught Reinhard von Musel how to fight with a dueling pistol. As an Admiral, one of his first Battles was the Battle of Amritsar where he performed well. He later served with Siegfried Kircheis and Samuel Wahlen in the Battle of Kyffhauser where they destroyed the enemy force completely. Later, he was a part of the diversionary force under the command of Oskar von Reuenthal that captured Iserlohn Fortress during Operation Ragnarok and he later served as the commander of Iserlohn Fortress, where he was defeated and the fortress was recaptured by Yang Wenli in the tenth Battle of Iserlohn. Despite this failure, he was not given an overly harsh punishment. He later died in 800 UC in order to ensure that his Kaiser could escape a terraist attack and was promoted to Fleet Admiral.

August Samuel Wahlen  
High Admiral August Samuel Wahlen - His first meeting with Reinhard von Musel was in the year 792 like so many other men whom Reinhard von Lohengramm would command. Wahlen served as Reinhard’s first officer on the Hassliche Entlein during this time. Later, when Reinhard opened his new admiralty, August Samuel Wahlen would destroy the FPA’s 3rd Fleet in battle before joining the rest of his fellow admirals at Amritsar. He would also serve in the Battle of Kyffhauser, though Siegfried Kircheis’s maneuveurs were the most decisive of the battle. He would later serve in Operation Ragnarok as part of Reinhard von Lohengramm’s invasion force of the Fezzan Corridor and in the Battle of Rantemario. He was one of the four admirals who was defeated by Yang Wenli before the Battle of Vermillion. He would later receive an assignment to investigate Terra and the Terraist and would lose his arm to a poisoned knife in an assassination attempt. He would successfully destroy the terraist headquarters despite losing his arm. August Samuel Wahlen was defeated in the Eleventh Battle of Iserlohn by the Iserlohn Republic but was able to retreat. Wahlen fought yet again in the 2nd Battle of Rantemario where his prosthetic arm was destroyed in the fighting. He performed well for the most part, but was overly eager in the 10th Battle of Iserlohn to try and capture the fortress. After Reinhard von Lohengramm’s death, he was promoted to Fleet Admiral.

Ernest Mecklinger  
High Admiral Ernest Mecklinger - Ernest Mecklinger served as Reinhard von Lohengramm’s chief of staff on board the Brunhild during the 4th Battle of Tiamat, and he continued to serve Reinhard as an Admiral after Reinhard established his new admiralty. He would be present at Geiersburg Fortress and he would fight in the Battle of Wansteidt during the Free Planets Alliance invasion of Imperial territory where he destroyed 30% of the enemy fleet and performed well in the Battle of Amritsar. During Operation Ragnarok he was a rear force commander who remained at Odin and handled affairs there for Reinhard von Lohengramm. He was tricked by Yang Wenli into not assisting in the Battle of the Corridor but nonetheless performed important duties for his Kaiser. While he did not actively participate in as many battles as other admirals under Reinhard’s command, his role was an exceptionally important one to play as commander of rear forces. He also investigated and uncovered the truth behind Reuenthal’s Rebellion.

Neidhardt Muller  
High Admiral Neidhart Muller - Muller like many of Reinhard von Lohengramm’s admirals, met him in 792 as a military attache. He was present for the assault on Geiersburg Fortress. He played a role as sub commander during the 8th Battle of Iserlohn where he attempted to capture Yang Wenli, but Karl Gustav Kempff prevented him from doing so, believing that rumors of Yang Wenli being captured were nothing more than a trick. He participated in Operation Ragnarok, and he arrived in the knick of time in order to save Reinhard von Lohengramm from certain death at Vermillion, fighting tenaciously despite the disadvantageous position, transferring ships multiple times. He would fight at Rantemario and at Marr-Adetta as well. His fleet received an attack to the rear by Yang Wenli’s force which came to relieve Admiral Bewcock at Rantemario and Admiral Bewcock was able to escape. He was present at the Uravasi incident and assisted Reinhard’s escape from the planet, he would also participate in the Battle of Corridor alongside many of his other admirals, where he performed capably. 

He generally made few mistakes in the roles that he was given, and if Kempff had listened to his advice or if he had been allowed to act as he pleased by Kempff, the 8th Battle of Iserlohn would have been the two’s greatest triumph. Instead, it was Kempff’s most tragic defeat. 

Fritz Joseph Bittenfeld  
High Admiral Fritz Joseph Bittenfeld - At the Sixth Battle of Iserlohn, in which both he and Reinhard von Lohengramm participated, he successfully destroyed two enemy ships with a single volley. While he has not noted for being a cerebral figure, he was still a tremendous force on the battlefield. At the Battle of Lugen, he destroyed 70% of the 10th fleet under the command of Ulanhu. While this was not as impressive as the near complete destruction of the 3rd Fleet by August Samuel Wahlen, his opponent was more talented. Soon after, any survivors of the 8th Fleet were destroyed by the Black Lancers, although the 13th Fleet of Yang Wenli was his goal. Bittenfeld soon after attempted to strike at Yang Wenli, but his fleet had already been weakened by the previous engagements and Yang Wenli was able to successfully escape the trap at Amritsar. Siegfried Kircheis arrived too late to close the trap on Yang Wenli. Ultimately, Reinhard initially sought to punish Bittenfeld in spite of his excellent service destroying the 10th and 3rd Fleet but was talked out of doing so by Siegfried Kircheis. He was present for the fighting with the Lippstadt League and he made no blunders there. He participated in Operation Ragnarok and at the Battle of Rantemario he delivered the final decisive blow to the enemy force. He also fought in the Battle of Marr-Adetta Starzone, though his role was not as major as other units in that battle. During the Reuenthal Rebellion he was present at 2nd Rantemario where Reuenthal noted that Bittenfeld was more capable than he’d thought of him initially. Bittenfeld and Fahrenheit were the first units sent in to fight in the Battle of the Corridor, and Yang Wenli very nearly was killed by Bittenfeld’s fleet. Yang Wenli hoped to trap and destroy both Fahrenheit and Bittenfeld’s force, but Bittenfeld was able to retreat. Fahrenheit was not so lucky. 

Overall, despite his seeming boorish appearance, he holds a position as one of the few Admirals who did not suffer a defeat without some degree of extenuating circumstances. His performance at Amritsar while mediocre compared to his peers, is more than made up for by nearly destroying completely two fleets before that battle. Bittenfeld performed well both independently at Lugen and as part of Reinhard’s own force under the close eye of Reinhard at the Battle of Rantemario. He was promoted to Fleet Admiral after the death of Reinhard von Lohengramm.

Oskar von Reuenthal  
Fleet Admiral Oskar von Reuenthal - Few meetings were as fateful and important to the history of the galaxy as the meeting between Oskar von Reuenthal and Reinhard von Musel. Oskar von Reuenthal introduced Reinhard von Lohengramm to his best friend Wolfgang Mittermeyer who would also become one of the pillars of Reinhard von Lohengramm’s military dictatorship. As Reinhard rose, Reuenthal, Mittermeyer, and Mecklinger were among the three most important members of his fleet, not including his best friend Siegfried Kircheis. Oskar von Reuenthal served in many of Reinhard’s earliest battles of a fleet of moderate size. Naturally, he was among the men who became Reinhard’s first admirals, and as a long time supporter he was rewarded generously. Reuenthal alongside Mittermeyer performed capably in the Sixth Battle of Iserlohn, and prevented the Imperial Fleet from otherwise being horribly humiliated. His high reputation meant that he, Mecklinger, and Mittermeyer were removed from Reinhard’s fleet by Reinhard’s political enemies before the Battle of Astarte, where men like Fahrenheit and Merkatz would shine most brightly. Reuenthal and Mittermeyer mostly assisted their future Kaiser with tasks like troubles with his sister and a vengeful concubine of Kaiser Friedrich IV. Oskar von Reuenthal like many of Reinhard’s admirals would make a show of their capability during the Free Planets Alliance invasion of the Galactic Empire, where Oskar von Reuenthal forced the veteran Admiral Bewcock into retreat with 30% losses at the Battle of Bilrost, before he participated in the Battle of Amritsar. 

He had a far larger role in the war with the Lippstadt League than many of his peers. Reuenthal retreated from the assault of Merkatz in the Schann-Tau Sector believing it was not worth fighting over, however, he and Mittermeyer were responsible for the defeat and capture of High Admiral Ovlesser, no small feat, which enabled Paul von Oberstein’s scheme to split the Lippstadt League apart to take effect, though Mittermeyer especially was displeased with letting Ovlesser go after many men were lost to him. The final battle against Geiersburg Fortress also saw Oskar von Reuenthal take a leading role. Oskar von Reuenthal acted as the diversionary force of Operation Ragnarok and was in charge of the force that captured Iserlohn Fortress after it was abandoned by Yang Wenli. He and Mittermeyer at the suggestion of Hildegarde von Mariendorf would hold the capitol Heinessen hostage in order to induce Yang Wenli’s surrender at the Battle of Vermillion. During the second Alliance-Imperial War, Oskar von Reuenthal would serve as Reinhard’s Chief of Staff onboard the Brunhild in the Battle of Marr-Adetta. He was later made Governor-General of Neue Land, and he served capably in this role, until machinations of others drove him to rebel. He performed reasonably well on the field, but the betrayal of his subordinates resulted in him being mortally wounded. He left behind a son who was raised by his best friend Wolfgang Mittermeyer and his wife. 

As a military commander, he was not as showy as other men like his own best friend or Bittenfeld, however, he gave good results in the majority of the battles he fought in, and retreated when it was not important to fight, still, it was strange that he was sent to fight for the insignificant Schann-Tau sector while other men were given arguably more important task. He utilized the parallel pursuit tactics that were first devised by the Alliance’s Sydney Sithole in his attack on Iserlohn to render its cannon worthless, but was nearly killed by a landing ship attack by the Rosen Ritter. Oskar von Reuenthal was also good at staff officer work and administrative work in general, talents that many other men in Reinhard’s fleet cannot claim to possess, besides for the likes of Paul von Oberstein, Siegfried Kirchies, Mecklinger, and Ernst von Eisenach. As a subordinate commander under the eye of Reinhard, as an independent commander, and as a staff officer, he had few blemishes. He became sloppy when he was suddenly forced into rebellion, but it was no mistake of Reinhard’s to make him a Fleet Admiral.

Wolfgang Mittermeyer  
Fleet Admiral Wolfgang Mittermeyer - A man of decisive action. A longtime friend of Oskar von Reuenthal, and a man who would have met with great misfortune if not for the intervention of Reinhard von Musel at the behest of his best friend Oskar von Reuenthal. As one of the key figures in Reinhard’s fleet. He participated in many of the same early battles as his best friend, both playing a key role especially in the Sixth Battle of Iserlohn. During the Free Planet Alliance’s invasion of the Galactic Empire, he played a major role in crushing the enemy in the Battle of Alviss, destroying 50% of the 9th fleet. He came into contact with Yang Wenli at Marr-Adetta Starzone, where Yang Wenli would drop bombs into the star allowing his fleet to rapidly advance and catch the Gale Wolf by surprise, forcing the Gale Wolf into one of the few tactical retreats of his career. During the Imperial Civil War, he would defeat his former teacher Staaden in the Battle of Altena. He and Oskar von Reuenthal would devise the plan to capture High Admiral Ovlesser whom Paul von Oberstein would use to split the Lippstadt League. He would also perform well in the final assault on Geiersburg Fortress. 

During Operation Ragnarok, he was separated from his friend Oskar von Reuenthal to serve in the fleet which would move through the Fezzan Corridor and occupy the planet. He would also participate in the 1st Battle of Rantemario where his forces were initially surprised by the performance of the Alliance Fleet before the Alliance Fleet’s ability to fight was all but destroyed, still the remnants were able to escape because of the intervention of a certain Magician Yang. Wolfgang would play a role in obtaining the surrender of the Free Planets Alliance, stopping Yang Wenli from slaying Reinhard von Lohengramm at Vermillion, and in the 2nd Imperial-Alliance War, Wolfgang Mittermeyer would face Admiral Bewcock once again in the Battle of Marr-Adetta, in this battle, younger and less experienced admirals were given the opportunity to prove their worth, and found lacking greatly. Wolfgang would fight at Rantemario once again, this time, against his best friend, where he achieved victory. He would be present at the Battle of the Corridor. 

Wolfgang Mittermeyer was renowned for his rapid attacks, but he was also wise enough to retreat when his enemies got the better of him such as Yang Wenli at Amritsar. He shined most when he was given an independent command or when he was beside his best friend Oskar von Reuenthal. 

Siegfried Kircheis  
Fleet Admiral Siegfried Kircheis - Perhaps the most important person in Reinhard von Lohengramm’s formative years besides his dear sister who was taken from him by Kaiser Friedrich IV. Without Siegfried Kircheis at his side, there were countless situations in which Reinhard von Musel would have possibly met an early death. Much like Reinhard von Musel as he was known in the past, Siegfried Kircheis was multi-talented. He was at Reinhard’s side for all of his early military exploits, his career is closely tied with Reinhard von Musel’s career as well as his rise. Siegfried Kircheis and Reinhard von Musel’s first mission was on the Planet Kapche-Lanka, where they were tasked to reconnoitre for FPA activity, however, enemies of Reinhard’s sister have bribed their commander to end their lives, and Reinhard von Musel and Siegfried Kircheis have no choice but to ambush an FPA tank to acquire fuel in order to survive. Siegfried Kircheis immobilizes the FPA tanks using information from the FPA tank that they ambushed. For this accomplishment, the two young men are promoted. After this, the two young men were assigned to the Hameln II, where Siegfried Kircheis decided to start a mutiny against a decision that would ultimately lead to the deaths of the entire crew and furthermore assist in the implementation of a plan by a young man who studied astrophysics before being enlisted. Their commanding officer lavished praise upon both Siegfried Kircheis and Reinhard von Musel and they were promoted once more. 

Reinhard von Musel and Siegfried Kircheis would later that year be given an assignment involving the retrieval of directional zephyr/seffel particles, wherein they would meet many of Reinhard’s future admirals. A later assignment of Reinhard von Musel and Seigfried Kircheis to the Military Police involved solving the murder of a student which they handled ably, both young men receiving further accolades. Siegfried Kircheis and Reinhard von Musel continued on their upward trajectory, Siegfried Kircheis was present for the Battle of Van-Fleet Starzone on 21 March 794. The Grimmelshausen Fleet was ordered to reorganize at Van-Fleet 4-2, where an alliance base was hidden and commodore Reinhard von Musel and Siegfried Kircheis were able to capture the commander of the base: Vice Admiral Sinclair Cerebrese. Despite this achievement, Siegfried Kircheis was not promoted while Reinhard von Musel and his superiors Richard von Grimmelshausen and Hermann von Luneberg were, though Siegfried Kircheis is later recommended for promotion by von Grimmelshausen. Around this time, Richard von Grimmelshausen held a party for his promotion to admiral and Reinhard von Musel and Hermann von Luneberg were about to fight each other if not for the intervention of a certain Ulrich Kessler. Reinhard von Musel and Siegfried Kircheis were present for the Sixth Battle of Iserlohn where Reinhard von Musel performed well in battle. The Third Battle of Tiamat, Battle of Legnica, and Fourth Battle of Tiamat would also see the two young men in combat once more as well as the legendary Battle of Astarte, after which Reinhard von Lohengramm became a Fleet Admiral. Rear Admiral Siegfried Kircheis would later put down the Castrop Rebellion skillfully using directional Seffle Particles on the Artemis Necklace, and in so doing, secure his promotion to Vice Admiral. 

Siegfried Kircheis would fight for Reinhard von Lohengramm during the Alliance Invasion of the Galactic Empire, where he would force the surrender of the 7th Fleet after exacting a heavy toll upon them. Siegfried Kircheis would use directional Seffle particles in order to destroy the massive minefield deployed by the Free Planets Alliance Invasion force at Amritsar, where Yang Wenli and Bewcock would successfully retreat. Siegfried Kircheis was then promoted to High Admiral. During the Imperial Civil War, Siegfried Kircheis was given the task of defeating Marquis Littenheim and taking control of the frontier, a task which Siegfried Kircheis accomplished easily, High Admiral Kircheis was able to use a mere 800 ships to exact a heavy toll on the enemy formation, wherafter an attack from Lutz and Wahlen shattered the fleet and Marquis Littenheim fled the field to Garmisch Fortress where his own men killed him and High Admiral Kircheis seized control of the fortress, and then pacified the frontier. Soon after, Siegfried Kircheis would meet his death saving his best friend’s life, and receive his final promotion to Fleet Admiral. 

Without Kircheis at his side, Reinhard von Musel would never have risen and become Reinhard von Lohengramm so quickly, however, near to the end of his life, Siegfried Kircheis was beginning to have doubts about his best friend, this was especially evident in the way he questioned Reinhard’s actions involving the Westerland Massacre where he harshly criticized Reinhard allowing civilians to be harmed by their political enemies for the purpose of obtaining political propaganda. As a soldier Siegfried Kircheis was quite capable, and he was skilled in many different fields that made him suited to a number of different tasks, from staff work to police work as well as subordinate and independent command. He was especially good at using engineering ships and directional Seffle particles, which he used more frequently than many other commanders and made the most frequent usage of those weapons throughout the entirety of the conflict. Siegfried Kircheis was a master of war whose life was cut short for the sake of the man who would take the galaxy, but if he lived longer, could his differences with that friend have ended in conflict?

Paul von Oberstein  
Fleet Admiral Paul von Oberstein - One of the few men in Reinhard’s fleet whom the future Kaiser had little affection for. He joined the admiralty of Reinhard von Lohengramm at a far later time than many of his other admirals did, and did not meet him until much later as well, though Reinhard’s reputation preceded him. It was this extraordinary reputation that drove Paul von Oberstein to request to become Reinhard’s retainer. Paul von Oberstein served at Reinhard’s side during the invasion of the Galactic Empire by the Free Planets Alliance, however, Paul von Oberstein’s greatest value to Reinhard von Lohengramm was in giving him political suggestions and plans that he otherwise might never have thought of himself, or not dared to do without their being suggested by someone else. Paul von Oberstein showed his value very clearly during the Lippstadt War, during this conflict, Paul von Oberstein assisted Reinhard von Lohengramm in developing a plan to encourage military elements that were dissatisfied in the Free Planets Alliance to foment a coup d'etat against the civilian government using former prisoners of war and a prisoner exchange. Paul von Oberstein would also give Reinhard von Lohengramm the suggestion to allow nuclear weapons to be used on the civilians of Westerland for the purpose of obtaining political propaganda. 

These two suggestions would have been enough to ensure that Paul von Oberstein would be remembered as an extremely important, if controversial figure in Reinhard’s rise, however, Paul von Oberstein was Reinhard’s chief of staff for the duration of the Civil War, and his suggestion to allow High Admiral Ovlesser to leave after he was captured was able to foment confusion, anxiety, and worry among the various figures of the nobility which greatly benefited Reinhard’s war against them. It should be noted that this skillful suggestion was before the suggestion to allow Prince Braunschweig to use nuclear weapons on the civilians of Westerland and make sure that visual records of it could be broadcasted throughout the galaxy.

After Siegfried Kircheis was slain, it was Paul von Oberstein who encouraged the other admirals to rush to Odin and seize control of the government. While men like Wolfgang Mittermeyer and Oskar von Reuenthal executed this coup successfully and skillfully, Paul von Oberstein must be praised for his persuasion of these talented men to take this decision in the first place and furthermore, that he gave them a justification for the act and suggested that they should accuse Duke Klaus von Lichtenlade of planning to turn on them, a matter which was reported to them by Hildegard von Mariendorf as she was known at that time before her rise to Kaiserin. 

Paul von Oberstein continued to assist Reinhard von Lohengramm by rooting out corruption, but made the misstep of making usage of Heydrich Lang as a minister, a man who was corrupt and not fully loyal to the dynasty, and the view of Heydrich Lang and indeed, Oberstein himself was so poor in many’s eyes that Oskar von Reuenthal’s suggestion that he was rebelling as a result of Heydrich Lang and Paul von Oberstein was not seen as wrong by everyone and was a fairly skillful piece of propaganda, though Oskar von Reuenthal couldn’t overcome the betrayal that’d been planned against him even before his first battle.

Paul von Oberstein performed well in Operation Ragnarok as chief of staff, but made yet another misstep when he decided to imprison Bittenfeld in response to frustration at Oberstein’s plan to take hold of various important figures in the FPA to ease negotiations with the Iserlohn Republic, this nearly started a battle between his own and Bittenfeld’s subordinates.

Despite the later missteps in some of his actions, the missteps would not have been so if he did not have to work with men like Bittenfeld. If he had free reign to act as he pleased, it is likely that the Iserlohn Republic would have been easily brought to the negotiation table and with less bloodshed arguably.


End file.
